Technology News 1 June 2025 - 5 June 2025

The United States operates the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation, delivering jam-resistant, global, protected military communications including nuclear command and control links. Navstar GPS is a 31-satellite global navigation system that provides precise positioning, navigation, and timing to guide munitions such as JDAM and to synchronize encrypted networks. Defense Support Program (DSP) and the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) form the U.S. early-warning constellation that uses infrared sensors to detect missile launches worldwide. U.S. Keyhole KH-11 optical reconnaissance satellites (and successors) provide high-resolution imagery from space. Russia operates the Liana ELINT constellation, including Lotos-S1 in low orbit and Pion-NKS in

By late 2022, more than 10,000 aircraft worldwide were equipped with in-flight connectivity, and about 65% of airlines planned further IFC investments in the next few years. Aireon’s space-based ADS-B payloads on Iridium NEXT have been operational since 2019, enabling global real-time tracking and supporting ICAO’s 15-minute GADSS position reporting standard. COSPAS-SARSAT, a global satellite distress system, relays 406 MHz ELT signals from aircraft to ground stations to coordinate search and rescue and has saved thousands of lives. Global Navigation Satellite Systems—GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China)—provide precise positioning, while SBAS like WAAS and EGNOS offer 1–2 meter

L-band MSS terminals, such as Inmarsat FleetBroadband and Iridium Certus, provide global coverage with compact antennas but limited data throughput. Ku-band VSAT (12–18 GHz) has been the maritime workhorse, Ka-band HTS (26–40 GHz) offers higher capacity, while C-band deployments are restricted near shore due to interference and large dish requirements. GEO satellites offer broad coverage with about 600 ms latency, while LEO Iridium NEXT, a 66-satellite constellation upgraded 2017–2019, provides true global L-band coverage and was recognized as a GMDSS provider in 2020. SpaceX Starlink and OneWeb have emerged as disruptive LEO players in maritime, with Starlink signing on nearly

Iridium operates 66 active LEO satellites in a cross-linked constellation, providing truly global coverage including the poles. Inmarsat uses 3–4 GEO satellites at about 36,000 km altitude to cover most of the globe from roughly 70°N to 70°S, and its IsatPhone 2 offers 8 hours of talk time. Globalstar runs about 48 LEO satellites to provide regional coverage (roughly 50°N to 50°S) with the Globalstar GSP-1700 handset. Thuraya uses two GEO satellites, with Thuraya 4-NGS launched in 2025 to expand service across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while it does not cover the Americas. Geostationary satellite networks

In the race for high-speed internet, satellite and fiber-optic broadband represent two very different approaches. Fiber-optic (terrestrial broadband) is often considered the gold standard – delivering data at nearly the speed of light through glass cables buried underground or strung on poles mcsnet.ca. Satellite internet, by contrast, beams data to orbiting satellites and back to Earth, enabling connectivity virtually anywhere on the planet. Each technology has unique strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to latency (network delay) and bandwidth (data throughput). This report provides an up-to-date comparison of satellite vs. fiber internet as of mid-2025, examining how they work,

Iridium, a LEO network, started service in 1998 and operates 66 active cross-linked satellites, delivering near-global coverage, with the Iridium NEXT second-generation network launched in 2019. Globalstar uses 48 satellites (24 second-generation as of 2013), has no inter-satellite links and relies on ground gateways, and Apple’s Emergency SOS on iPhone 14 uses about 85% of Globalstar’s capacity for emergency texts. Inmarsat operates a GEO fleet of about 11 satellites, offers IsatPhone handheld services, the IsatPhone 2 provides ~8 hours of talk time and 160 hours of standby, and Inmarsat expanded with I-4/I-6 series after its 2023 acquisition by Viasat. Thuraya